gossamer_lens's reviews
1276 reviews

Shadows of London by Time Princess

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3.75

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

5.0

How does one rate a book like this? I don't know. But I feel like in many ways I found myself and my lived reality understood and discussed. There were essays that made me cringe and need to sit with it for a bit. There were parts I found myself judging and felt the need to self examine my feelings.

I think this book will sit with me for awhile and I deeply appreciate it and all the authors boldness in telling and discussing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in learning about rape culture and the reality of how it affects people. 
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

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dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I struggle to rate people's memoirs... I didn't realize that is what this was until I got about 75% of the way through. I think this work is important and eye opening in many ways. I felt for the protagonist/author. There are many messy things that made me look up it it was a memoir about 75% of the way through as they didn't make narrative sense. I think being queer is a hard thing and while there was much I might have appreciated not knowing... It was a compellingly raw and honest telling of a person's lived experience. And I can respect and appreciate that. 
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I live for reading more MurderBot! 🫶🏻🥰
Uzumaki by Junji Ito

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I just... All the creepy and so so good. I will be thinking about this book for quite awhile. 
The Little Frog's Guide to Self-Care by Maybell Eequay

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted

4.0

Cute and charming with lovely art and little sayings that feel basic but can be lovely to hear/read and remind oneself about. 
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

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adventurous dark funny informative reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Just wow. Wow. 

This books themes, narrative, prose, characters and everything.... They all work together in such perfect harmony to discuss so many important themes. And it's funny and quotable all at the same time. I cannot believe what a punch this book could pack in every chapter. 

I would recommend it to literally anyone and everyone. So good. I will be reading anything I can lay my hands on that Vonnegut wrote. 
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

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adventurous hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A good piece of writing. Rather simple in themes and narrow in scope. But the theme it focuses on is an important one. 

It is important we not forget the wrongs of the past, in case we forget how to identify and call them out when we see such wrongs in the present. 
Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick

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adventurous hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I thought I was going to rate the book lower. But after thinking on it, watching Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049 and explaining the themes and plot in great detail to my husband.... I think I fell in love with it? Maybe not quite because it suffers from some general misogyny and the ending having several themes be forgotten a bit or lost in the mix of the main character being horny. But overall it offers a lot and is clearly a seminal work when it comes to exploring what it means to be human in media afterwards. Fun and solid. 
The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 1 by Neil Gaiman

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I love this kind of writing. I'm not a huge reader of graphic novels... So as a sort of intro to such it is intense. I enjoyed myself as I explored the dark, emotional and raw storytelling that is Sandman. I do have to say, I read it because of first loving the Netflix's Sandman TV show. And while I can appreciate this graphic novel, I don't think it can touch (at least season one's) ability to adapt this tale into something even darker, more thrilling, and more sensitive to the stories of women, POC, and LGBTQ+ characters contained within. I love the liberties Netflix took and it is one of the rare cases of a TV adaptation rising above the source material for me. And this was pretty good for source material. 
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